Yewnethlynn Tulaeryn
Yewnethlynn Tulaeryn (Yew-neth-len Too-lair-en), The Black Knight of the Beast's Den, slayer of the Beast of Elethar, a timeless warrior whose sense duty leads her to leave behind the Den and Cyneward's group in their struggle against the Strifespawn. Appearance Yew is a fine specimen of the Elven people, being tall and slim of build she has a lean muscled body. Her light brown hair reaches just down past her shoulders and her eyes are a bright and piercing blue. Though she hailed originally from the elven kingdom of Lethlithan in Elethar's glory days, she married a human man and joined him as a knight of his kingdom Gilihan. Clad in an antique looking set of black armor consisting of helm, spiked pauldrons, gauntlets, boots and spiked fauld Yew's armor is somewhat minimal. Rather than a cumbersome chest piece she wears a bodice of stiffened white leather and beneath her armor a tabard of Gilihan with trousers and top of loose puffy material. Powers & Abilities Having been a knight long ago Yew is well trained and over the centuries has only had more time to hone her skills in her seclusion within the Beast's Den. Being a dab hand at some simple magics such as a defensive barrier she is however much more a warrior than a mage. Though she was the one to strike the final and fatal blow to the great deformed Landwyrm known as the Beast of Elethar, it was far from merely her own strength that delivered the strike. Hundreds of fellow soldiers and knights lay down their lives in the grueling war waged for years against the monster and their noble sacrifice saw its defenses rent for her to slay the creature though at a terrible price. Wounded and near death she had used the last of her own strength to see the beast stricken while vulnerable and when it's putrid blood spilled across her injured body she became inflicted. After a full recovery from the battle she discovered the ill effects of the Beast's blood within her, a dark taint which threatened to corrupt her. Over the years she has learned to utilize the strengths granted by the blood to good ends, possessing rapid regeneration which extends even to the armor she wore when she defeated the monster. Alongside this recovery capability she is somewhat stronger than appearance might dictate and capable of releasing blasts of dark magic which force objects from her body and send foes tumbling. Though when she speaks her voice rings in many tongues at once she can understand only the long forgotten language prominent in Elethar hundreds of years ago, much of the remaining extent of the blood effects upon Yew remains a mystery still to this day. History Far across the seas from V'lithe in a smaller land called Elethar four kingdoms once ruled in tenuous peace to keep a powerful monster slumbering through ritual binding of families every 50 years. For hundreds of years this tradition was upheld until the beast that had once ravaged their lands seemed only a legend told to frighten children and the marriages seemed pointless politics. Eventually came the day when the chosen participants refused and the spells went uncast, for some time it seemed not to matter, perhaps the monster truly had been just a silly old story? But then came the day when it awoke once more and all of Elethar knew its terror again as it tore the kingdoms asunder. Yewnethlynn was a child born to one of the noble lines in the elven kingdom of Lethlithan whose heritage was intertwined with the ritual, though she had never been among those chosen to be wed. Growing up instead in a time after the ritual had been abandoned Yew grew into a kind and independent woman, becoming a soldier and rising through the ranks in times of peace, she fell in love with a man named Isbjorn from the human kingdom of Gilihan where she settled down to become a knight alongside him. It was during her time as a knight that the Great Beast arose from its slumber and alongside so many other brave knights and soldiers Yew and her husband rode into battle to defend their people. The desperate war against the Beast raged for five long years but none seemed able to slay the creature and their numbers grew smaller with each day as their lands were turned to ruin in its wake. Finally in a last terrible battle the final forces of man launched an assault upon the Beast during which Yew's husband and so many others lost their lives and the struggle seemed fruitless despite all their powers of magic and force. At long last however their efforts had broken through the Beasts defenses and left the seemingly invincible monster vulnerable, Yew though mortally wounded was enraged by the loss not only of her husband but of all the courageous companions who had died at the hands of the creature, lashing out in a blind fury. It was her final blow that brought the Beast down but it was certainly not by her efforts alone that it was slain and as she stood nearly alone among so many dead it seemed a victory hardly worth its costs. Collapsing it seemed she would now die with the monster, but the Beasts blood had spilled upon her and it had joined her own to forever change her. Against the odds Yew recovered from her injuries under the tending of those few who had survived and though hailed as a hero she knew it was not her strength that had killed the monster, but that of all those who had given their lives for their people, and in the end the Beasts death amounted to little. All of Elethar lay in ruins, a wasteland caused by the horrible magics of the monster, most of those who had survived the war left Elethar to sail elsewhere in search of more hospitable lands. Exploration of the monsters home revealed a collection of books, scrolls and other scripts from all across the world, those that were readable pointing towards dark magics. Along with this one particular item was uncovered and its fate left in the Black Knights hands. Yew remained, living alone in the den of the Beast rather than among those few who remained in the land, leaving her dwelling only to help them when they needed until over the years the people saw so little of her that she was forgotten in all but legend. Eventually those who wandered into the Beasts Den to test their courage and prove their worth by collecting a bone of the Beast knew her only as the Black Knight who guarded the graveyard and the corpse of the Beast. Over time it became tradition that to prove themselves and earn a bone of the Beast one would battle the Black Knight and try to best her, few succeeded and over the years it only became more difficult as her skills continued to grow. All of Elethar knows of the legendary immortal Black Knight in the Beasts Den, mysterious and undying, she is feared as much as she is respected, dwelling there even still after hundreds of years alone. It was not until Cyneward's group came in search of answers hearing about the corpse of the Beast that Yew's life finally began to change. Challenging the invaders of the Den she sealed the remains of the Landwyrm and the countless graves that encircled its feet with a magical barrier and battled Cyneward, Eoforhild and Rane. The fight raged on for some while and the Black Knight put up a valiant effort but in the end she fell, surrendering herself to their defeat and placing her fate in their hands. Spared and ultimately persuaded to join their cause with a bit of translation help from Vira, an old acquaintance that accompanied the outlanders, she gathered her things including some of the texts from the Beast and the one thing that had been left to her care, a single magic bound egg. For the first time in centuries the elven knight left the Den behind. Using a scroll left behind by the Beast in what appeared to be it's collection of scripts and tomes she collapsed the entire mountain and buried the Beast's Den and the graveyard within so that none might disturb it again. Their trek to Skuuya grew tense as signs of something amiss gave cause for concern and upon arrival the group discovered that the village was under siege by their own dead, risen up through foul necromantic magics. Never one to leave innocents in need Yew left the others who combated the undead and instead sought to find whatever person or creature was orchestrating the assault. Personality Yew is a great unknown to the people of Elethar, those few who still eke out an existence in the wastelands. Enigmatic and steadfast she is known only to be a knight guarding the Den from trespassers, her past and true self are lost to memory. At first encounter she is quiet and dutiful, performing her role as defender of the bones and testing the will and strength of those who come to face her. Beneath her stolid surface is a woman with a kind and protective heart, capable of surprising tenderness and remarkable loyalty and courage. It has been so long since Yew has had companions however that it seems uncertain whether she is still the woman she once was or has lost herself to her new role just as history has. The loss of her husband and comrades though a wound hundreds of years old is still a scar born silently on her heart, untouched by the compassion of others as she secluded herself to her mourning alone. The extent of the effects of the Beasts blood within her is unknown though it seems to aid in the quickened healing of wounds along with toughening and strengthening her body, when combined with her incredibly lengthy lifespan as an elf it is little wonder that the people of Elethar think her completely immortal. Though few have seen it, Yew bears much sorrow in her heart and a great aching loneliness that she does not voice or seek to rid herself of, instead of dwelling on her own pains she is one to encourage others with a smile that can be seen tinged with sadness. Trivia * Yew dearly misses the lush and verdant nature that once thrived across Elethar, seeing something so simple as grass and tree would bring her to tears. * Her brother Elmlethwyn was among those who first chose not to participate any longer in the ritual bindings which eventually led to the Beast's awakening. * She nearly destroyed the egg that she discovered in the Beast's Den but in the end could not bring herself to destroy a potentially innocent life for the sins of the creature that harbored it. * As was the custom in Elethar Yewnethlynn and her husband took her last name in marriage as she was of higher birth than him being of a noble family while he was a commoner. * Yewnethlynn's Theme Category:Characters Category:Dawn of Shadow Category:Heroes